....and you were the coach of the team facing us in a 7-game series, what would be your strategy(ies) to beat us?
Pressure Harden every time up the court, attack him on defense and when he has the ball to create, scheme your defense to give him the shot instead of leaving the roller or the open shooters. If he does get in the paint, scheme should be to just crowd him but no plays on the ball. On pass off situations, teams should try to play the passing lane itself instead of the player setup to receive the pass. Forcing Harden into a double digit turnover game is a good strategy.
Some coaches pose that question to everyone in the room, listen to the replies, and when they hear what they like, they agree as a way to indirectly tell everyone else how ignorant they are and they need to do more research. Sorta like how you are about to do the same thing in this thread. Yule C
Offensively, I would switch my point until I got Harden matched up against him and I'd pick and roll him as much as possible. I'd use this to defend him as well, leaving him as close to my basket as possible and immediately double him either before or as soon as he received the basketball, making him give up the dribble. Very simply I'd make someone else beat me, and I'd put him on the ball defensively as often as possible, forcing him to defend.
Agree with playing off him and giving him the pull up if he gets the ball at the top. He's much less efficient with the pull up than anything else. But I'd deny him the ball in the backcourt and attack his dribble until he got it over half court. Then I'd sag and take try to force him right and deny him left.
Useless post. Go back to nba2k16. Since that's how you would attempt to derive an answer to the question, child.
Pick your poison is just a myth. With a pen or pencil, you can stop everything Harden does on a napkin in a bar, or in a thread like this. Yule C "Attack Harden on Defense" "Give him the shot" But "crowd him when he drives" But "don't leave the roller or the open shooters" But "play the passing lane" And "no plays on the ball" Just go out and create turnovers Go it, everyone! Now Break! Go Team!
I said pressure him every time up the court. Same thing. Make the Rockets run a set just to inbound the ball to him (he'll get it eventually you aren't going to keep it out of his hands, but make him use energy just to fight with a guy) and then pressure the ball every time. When he does his little "let the ball roll while he walks casually up the court" I would attack the ball. On every possession I would make him do his over dribbling stuff to try to force a turnover. Now, what we aren't account for here is that this is also exhausting for your defense so good luck doing it non-stop.
Have a great big man that can defend the paint. Run off our threes and force us to shoot midrange shots. If you foul Harden on a three, you get benched immediately.
Well of course this is just a silly hypothetical. We all know that teams aren't going to do these things because they aren't as easy as just writing them in the thread. Even if a team could do all of them they'd be exhausted. I'm just playing along. I know basketballholic's point is that you beat the Rockets by attacking Harden. He is technically correct, that is the weakness but it is not as easy to exploit as he things nor as easy as it is just write it up. It works if you get Harden to have one of those 12 turnover games, but what is likely to happen is that he has 6 or 7 and still gets his guys involved.
there isn't a defense in the league capable of denying the ball to harden and pressuring him all the way to half court throughout the course of a game without having its own consequences. as a matter a fact that wouldn't even work against any of the premier guards in the league.
- Focus on scoring in the paint. - moving the ball for open 3s. - NOBODY SHOOT ANY FORKING LONG 2s!!! The best way to beat the Rox is using the way of the Rox played.
Aren't teams trying these strategies now? It is clear that Harden is the key in any given game. Why wait until the playoffs to implement a strategy to beat the Rockets?
There's no defense that can stop Harden. There are defenses that can water down his efficiency......and beat us.
Great question. Not the best teams like San Antonio fit instance. Pops uses the regular season like a chemist doing experiments. He watches and then he'll try different things. When he hits a key he doesn't necessarily drill down on it when he is playing regular season games against the possible playoff matchup. But he puts it in his memory. And then when the playoffs roll around he unfurls everything he's been stashing all season.
I'm talking about attacking him 94 feet, attempting to deny him the ball out of made baskets and finding him when the shot goes up. After he gets the ball in half court, sag off and try to push him right as much as possible.
